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Tim Grover’s new book recounts Dwyane Wade’s Finals call

It was clear to everyone that Dwyane Wade that he was struggling during the NBA playoffs last spring. It was clearest of all to Wade.

As was reported here during that time, Wade called in his long-time trainer Tim Grover — who has also worked with Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan — in order to get himself as right physically and emotionally as possible during the NBA Finals.

Grover writes about that early in his book, “Relentless,” with co-author Shari Wenk, which comes out later this month.

Here are some excerpts from the chapter “The Cleaner You Are, The Dirtier You Get”:

“Dwyane had called me after Game Two of the Finals, asking if I would fly to Miami to see if I could get him and his damaged knee through the rest of the series. I was surprised; we have a long, successful relationship, but we hadn’t worked together for the last two seasons, in part because he had chosen to stay in Miami to train near his teammate LeBron James. But we had stayed in touch, and like all my clients, past and present, he knew I would always be there if he needed me.

A different player might not have made that call. He could have relied on LeBron to carry the Heat to the title, he could have tried coping with the pain, hoping his knee would give him a couple more games. That’s what most players would have done. But when a championship is on the line and you’re a Cleaner, you don’t let others carry the load, and you don’t just hope it all works out. You make every possible move to put yourself where you need to be.

So with the series tied 1-1, I flew to Miami. It was obvious Dwyane’s knee would require surgery after the season; we couldn’t slap a quick solution on that. I told him I’d do what I could to make him feel stronger and more explosive for the next few days.

I also told him that his one championship ring from 2006 wasn’t going to be enough; he would need at least three to have a career that would be considered meaningful.

But what I really wanted to say to him was this:

‘When you’re one of the greatest athletes in your sport, you don’t announce you’re ‘old’ at the age of thirty and ready to pass the team along to the younger guys. If you think old, you become old. It wasn’t that long ago that you won the NBA scoring title after fighting back from simultaneous knee and shoulder surgeries, willing yourself through your grueling two-month rehab that would have taken anyone else three months. You did that. Do not tell me you can’t do this.’

For the next few days, we worked on things he hadn’t done in a long time, sometimes until 2:00 a.m., along in the arena away from teammates and media and all the other distractions. For the first time in too long, it was all about him….”

And this:

“On the night of Game Five, when the Heat won the title, when the Heat won the title, the note in my pocket said, ‘In order to have what you really want, you must first be who you really are.’

I wanted him to feel that time when it wasn’t about smoke or lights or hype or keeping everyone else happy. When it was all about what happened on the court, when he fought with his life to get there, when anyone who f—- with him would get a forty-eight minute blast of controlled rage. It was time to trust what he felt inside, not what everyone else was telling him to feel. That’s your name on the jersey. Remind them who you are. Go get what’s yours.…”